Dai Young believes the Ricoh factor will inspire Wasps

At this week’s media session director of rugby Dai Young spoke to BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, Free Radio and the Coventry Telegraph.

He provided fitness updates on a number of players after first giving his thoughts on last week’s defeat at Sale and this Saturday’s home game against Worcester.

Sale Sharks defeat “We are obviously disappointed to have lost in the dying seconds at Leicester and Sale but we have to dust ourselves off. “We were not ruthless enough and let good leads slip away. I can’t knock the effort and we played some good stuff to get ourselves in commanding positions but they were games that we really needed to nail. “At Sale we were excellent for 30 minutes but then became loose on occasions. That resulted in us defending for long periods and the one positive to come from this was the spirit and commitment the boys showed. “In particular, Jack Willis made nearly 30 tackles and won some important turnovers in his 60 minutes and we believe Thomas Young broke the club record by being involved in 38 tackles.” Worcester Warriors match“We have two massive home games now and are hoping the Ricoh factor will be a big plus. We’re hoping to have a big crowd there at the weekend because their support really does play a massive part for us. “The boys really enjoy playing at the Ricoh and we get some fantastic support there; hopefully they will come in numbers on Saturday and get right behind their team.” Danny Cipriani“Danny was unconscious for a fair time – it was a nasty knock as everyone has seen. “He went to hospital as precaution and had CT scans but everything was clear. He now has to go through the relevant protocols to make sure there are no ill effects. “The process is there to be followed so I can’t tell you when he is going to be all right. It could be this week or it could take a lot long “He has taken full part in all of our meetings, but obviously we will adhere to the protocols 100 per cent and he is not available again until he has passed them all.” Josh Bassett“Josh took a head knock in an incident in the last few minutes and he is also going through the return to play protocols. Like Cips it is another one we can’t call timescale-wise.Gaby Lovobalavu and Juan De Jongh

“Gaby is in the mix this week. He has served his ban now – frustrating as that was – and is now back available for selection. “Juan came through training last week and was on the bench so he is pretty much back to full fitness this week as well. Other injury updates“We don’t see any of our other injured players figuring this week but a number of them are making good progress. “None of them will feature against Worcester, Northampton or Newcastle but one or two of them could be there or thereabouts if we get into the semi-finals. “If all goes well Matt Symons and James Gaskell will potentially be ready if we get there. But that is still a long way off in their rehab schedule and if they suffer one hiccup along the way they are gone. Nathan Hughes is in a similar position. “Rob Miller has damage to his medial knee ligaments which is usually around 10/12 weeks, but we have had boys coming back at around eight or nine. “It’s hard to tell how long when they are in a boot or brace, as when they come out of that it depends on how quickly they are able to go running. “Earlier this season Nathan was fit three or four weeks earlier than expected, Jimmy Gopperth came back four or five weeks early and Danny Cipriani did the same at the start of the season. It really depends on the individual. “We will not rush players back or put players at risk and there is a return to play process which they all have to go through.” Tommy Taylor and Tom Cruse“Tommy looked busy as soon as he went on at Sale. We all know about his work rate – his tackle count is always big and he carries – so it’s great to have him back. “Game time this season has really benefitted Tom Cruse; he has put his hand up and played extremely well. He punches well above his weight but at some point playing so many minutes will take its toll. “Stealing a phrase from Eddie Jones you want to have starters and finishers – very few teams leave their front rows on past 60 or 65 minutes of the game. “So we’re really pleased Tommy and Tom can share the workload over the next couple of weeks, and hopefully we keep them both injury free.”